1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing reels having a rotor with an associated bail assembly for wrapping line onto a spool, and, more particularly, to a super-elastic, lightweight bail wire in combination with the bail assembly.
2. Background
One well known style of fishing reel is the spinning-type fishing reel. A spinning reel typically has a housing with an oscillating spool at its forward end. A rotor rotates about the spool axis by cooperative movement of a crank handle and has an associated bail assembly that wraps line onto the oscillating spool. In one construction, the rotor has integrally formed ears at diametrically opposite locations that define a support for a pair of bail arms between which a U-shaped bail wire is connected.
The bail wire has three basic functions. One function involves converting the reel from a cast mode to a retrieve mode as the bail assembly shifts from an open, line casting position to a closed, line winding position. As the reel handle is turned the bail assembly assumes the closed position and thereafter provides a smooth transition of line from the edge of the bail wire over a line roller and onto the spool. Not much stiffness is required of the bail wire to achieve this function.
The second function also relates to the conversion from cast to retrieve mode and is required when the bail assembly opening and closing systems are on opposite ears of the rotor. Usually in this case an over-center spring acts against one of the bail arms to hold the bail assembly in the open position while a kick lever acts against the other bail arm upon the initial rotation of the reel handle to trip the bail assembly to the closed position. The bail wire serves to locate the two bail arms relative to each other, holding the two bail arms in the same angular position and causing the entire bail assembly to rotate as a single piece. Consequently, the bail wire must possess sufficient stiffness to overcome the biasing force of the over-center spring.
The third function of the bail wire involves the conversion from retrieve mode to cast mode. Here, the bail wire acts as a handle or lever which the user grasps and pulls in order to move the bail assembly into the open position. Sufficient stiffness must be present in the bail wire not only to cause both bail arms to rotate to the open position but also to resist overly rugged handling by the user.
The bail wire is typically one of the most complicated, and most susceptible to damage, components in a spinning reel. Damage generally occurs due to an accidental loading of the bail wire during shipping, storage or actual use. When the bail wire becomes mis-shaped several potential problems arise. The bail arms may bind and no longer freely rotate relative to the rotor, resulting in an increase of force required to open or close the bail. Binding also may prevent the bail arms from traveling to their fully closed position causing line twisting at the line roller. On reels having opening and closing systems on opposite sides of the rotor, a mis-shaped bail wire also may prevent the proper tripping of the bail assembly to its closed position or may allow the bail assembly to prematurely close during casting.
Since the magnitude of accidental loads are quite unpredictable, the strength required in the bail wire is also unpredictable. To minimize the frequency of bail-related failures, existing reels have been designed with extremely rigid bail wires to withstand very high loads with minimal deflection. A rigid bail wire, though, is more likely to absorb a high accidental load due to its inability to shift positions to escape the load. In addition, any load absorbed by a rigid bail wire is directly transmitted to the bail wire support structure, thereby potentially damaging the support structure.
As bail wires have been designed to be stronger to avoid deformation, they have become heavier. The weight of the bail wire adversely affects the rotational balance of the rotor assembly. It is one objective of designers of spinning reels to design a rotor assembly that operates smoothly. To achieve this end, the rotor assembly must be dynamically balanced. In the absence of proper balancing, the rotor assembly, which may be operated at relatively high speeds, wobbles detectably. The largest forces to be balanced are developed by the bail wire. It is conventional to add weight to the opposite side of the rotor so as to balance the reel, but doing so results in a heavier and more complex reel. The weight of the bail wire also tends to cause the bail assembly to close during the cast. To prevent this from occurring additional torque must be applied to the bail assembly by a spring (or a magnet) to hold it open during the cast. This extra torque must be overcome to close the bail by cranking the reel handle when converting from cast to retrieve modes.
There is thus a need for a spinning reel having a bail wire more resistant to accidental loadings and damage resulting therefrom.
There is a further need for a lightweight bail wire in a spinning reel to simplify rotor balancing and facilitate ease of operation.